IGCSE CS 0984

Chapter 01 – Data Representation

Homework #01 - Questions
Question 1

Convert the following decimal numbers to binary:

a) 12
………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
b) 58
………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
c) 82
………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
d) 19
………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
e) 45
………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 2

The IP address of a computer is stored as a set of four 8-bit binary numbers.

The network administrator converts each binary number into hexadecimal. Complete the table to
show the hexadecimal equivalent of the binary IP address. The first number has already been
converted.
Binary IP address

11000100 00010000 11111110 00001001

Hexadecimal

Explain why the network administrator uses hexadecimal.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 3

What is the largest decimal number that can be represented in binary with eight bits?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 4

Determine the weight of the 1 in the binary number 10000.

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 5 (a)

The photographer takes up to 2000 photographs per week. Each photograph requires 5 MB of
storage on the camera’s memory card. Select the camera memory card with the smallest capacity
that can store 2000 photographs. Indicate your answer by putting a cross in the box. [1]

Capacity (GB)
A 4
B 8
C 16
D 32
Question 5 (b)

At the end of each week, the photographer transfers the photographs from the camera’s memory
card to his computer’s hard drive. Explain how to calculate the time it will take to transfer 2000
photographs.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 6

An alarm system sensor embedded in a baby’s clothing is used to measure its heart rate.
(a) A digital display shows the baby’s heart rate in beats per minute (bpm). Each digit in the
display is represented as a 4-bit binary code. For example:

1 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 0

(b) Complete the table to show how a heart rate of 95 bpm is represented. [2]

9 5

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(c) Complete the table to show what heart rate is being displayed. [2]

0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0

Question 7

Dima has agreed to send Michaela a 20 megabyte file. They both have a broadband connection.
Dima has to upload his file to a server and then Michaela needs to download it from the same
server. The broadband data transfer rates (speeds) are:
1 megabits per second to upload a file
8 megabits per second to download a file

(a) How long does it take to upload Dima’s file?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
(b) How long does it take to download Dima’s file?
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 8

A digital light meter has a 3-digit LCD. The value of each digit on the instrument display is stored
as a 4-bit binary number in a register. For example:

(a) What value is shown on the display if the 4-bit binary registers contain: [3]

(b) What would be stored in the 4-bit binary registers if the display shows: [3]

(c) If any of the 4-bit binary registers X, Y or Z contain the value 1 1 1 1 this indicates an error.
How could this error be shown on the instrument display?
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
(d) What cause the error to occur?

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 9

Letters from the Greek alphabet are to be transferred to a computer system. Each letter can be
represented on an 8 by 8 grid. Each column has a value from 1 to 128. The value of each row is
stored in a table. The values in the column headings are used to work out the value for each row
(e.g. in our example, row 8 has the value 64 + 32 + 4 + 2 = 102). Thus, in the example below, the
letter (π) is stored as:

(a) What values would be stored in the table for the Greek character (Σ)? [1]

(b) Draw the character formed from the following value table: [1]

Question 10

(a) Represent binary 101111100001 in hex.

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
(b) Represent binary 10000111111101 in hex.

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 11

(a) Convert hex 40AA to binary

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
(b) Convert hex DA47 to binary

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
Question 12

(a) Convert hex AD89 to denary

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
(b) Convert hex 12AE to denary

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]
Question 13

Convert the following binary numbers into denary:

a) 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
b) 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
c) 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
d) 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
e) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
f) 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
g) 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
h) 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

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i) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………. [1]
j) 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
Question 14

A binary pattern can be used to represent a variety of different data used in a computer system. The
pattern could represent an ASCII character code. The table shows part of the ASCII code table.

Consider the binary pattern: 01001110. What character is represented by this binary pattern? [1]
What is the hexadecimal for this binary pattern? [2]

0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0

Question 15

Explain what is meant by an ASCII?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 16

Give two advantages software developers for using hexadecimal rather than binary
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 17

Explain what is meant by MAC address?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 18

Computer memories are measured in terms of the number of bytes.

(a) What is meant by the term byte?

…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
(b) The number of bytes in a Gigabyte can be written as 2x What is the value of x? [1]
…..…………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]
Question 19

When a key is pressed on the keyboard, the computer stores the ASCII representation of the
character typed into main memory. The ASCII representation for A is 65 (denary), for B is 66
(denary), etc. There are two letters stored in the following memory locations:

Show the contents of Location 1 and Location 2 as binary using 8 bits. [2]

Location 1

Location 2

Show the contents of Location 1 and Location 2 as hexadecimal.

Location 1
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

Location 2
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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The following machine code instruction is stored in a location of main memory:

1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1

Convert this binary pattern into hexadecimal.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Explain why a programmer would prefer to see the contents of the locations displayed as
hexadecimal rather than binary, when debugging his program that reads the key presses.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 20

Give four examples where hexadecimal numbers are used in computer science.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [4]
Question 21

State two benefits of using hexadecimal numbers in computer science.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 22

A company advertises its backup memory device as having 500 GB of storage. A customer wishes
to know how many 8 MB files could be stored on the device. The company claimed that up to
62500 files (assuming each file is 8 MB) could be stored. The customer calculated that 64000 files
could be stored. Explain the difference between these two storage values. Show any calculations
you use in your explanation.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 23

Characters can be represented in a computer by a numerical code.

The following list shows 16 characters with their numerical codes in denary:
a = 97 e = 101 k = 107 t = 116
b = 98 g = 103 m = 109 u = 117
c = 99 h = 104 o = 111 w = 119
d = 100 i = 105 r = 114
. = 46 (code for the full stop)
Web addresses can be written using hexadecimal rather than denary. Hexadecimal codes are
preceded by a % sign. For example, the word “c a g e” is written as:
either 99 97 103 101 (in denary)
or %63 %61 %67 %65 (in hexadecimal)
Complete the conversion of the following web address into hexadecimal: [3]

Complete the web address from the given hexadecimal codes: [3]

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Question 24

The following code shows HTML ‘tag’ pairs on either side of the text stating the colour that each
creates.
<font color “#FF0000“> RED </font>
<font color “#00FF00“> GREEN </font>
<font color “#0000FF“> BLUE </font>
<font color “#X“> YELLOW </font>
<font color “#Y“> MAGENTA </font>
<font color “#Z“> CYAN </font>

Yellow is a combination of red and green, magenta a combination of red and blue and cyan a
combination of green and blue. State what 6-digit hexadecimal values should replace X, Y and Z in
the above code.
X.……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Y…..…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Z…..………………………………………………………………………………………………[3]
Describe how other colours, such as a darker shade of blue, are created.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 25

1A – 16 – C5 – 22 – FF – FF is an example of a MAC address. Identify what the first six and last
six hexadecimal digits represent.
First six digits: …………………………………………………………………..
Last six digits: …………………………………………………………………... [2]
Question 26

State why MAC addresses are used.

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 27

Hexadecimal codes are used in MAC addresses. State what is meant by the term MAC.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Explain what the hexadecimal code in a MAC address represents.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………….….
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]
Question 28

Each seat on a flight is uniquely identified on an LCD above the seat. For example, seat 035C is
shown as:

The first three characters are digits that represent the row. The fourth character is the seat position
in that row. This is a single letter, A to F, that is stored as a hexadecimal value.
Each of the four display characters can be stored in a 4-bit register. For example, 0 and C would be
represented as:

Show how the 4-bit registers would store the remaining two characters, 3 and 5. [2]

Identify which seat is stored in the following 4-bit registers. [2]

0 0 0 1 ………
1 0 0 1 ………
0 1 0 0 ………
1 1 1 0 ………

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Question 29

Convert the following hexadecimal number into 12-bit binary: [3]

4AF

The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro. A timer that counts down to the opening
of the Games is shown on a microprocessor-controlled display. The number of hours, minutes and
seconds until the Games open are held in three 8-bit registers. The present register values are:

The timer will count down in seconds.

Show the values in each 8-bit register 30 seconds after the time shown above: [3]

hours

minutes

seconds
Question 30

Identify three uses for hexadecimal and for each one give an example of hexadecimal that matches
the use.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………….….
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…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………….….
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
..…………………………………………………………………………………………………….[6]

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Question 31

A manufacturer of aeroplane engines assigns a denary identification number (ID) to each engine.
One engine has the ID: 0431 Convert this denary number to a 12-bit binary format.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Show how this number would be represented in hexadecimal.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The current status of the engine is sent to a computer in the aeroplane. Each piece of data collected
is 8 bytes in size. Data collection occurs every 30 seconds. Calculate the number of kilobytes that
would be needed to store the data collected during a 10-hour flight. Show your working.
Working
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Answer
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
At the end of the flight, all of the data are sent to the aeroplane engine manufacturer using the
Internet. The computer in the aeroplane has a MAC address.
State what is meant by MAC address
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 32

A computer uses an 8-bit register.

The 8-bit register contains binary integers. Write the denary (base 10) value represented by:

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
All the bits in the register are shifted one place to the right as shown below.

Write the denary number that is represented after this shift.

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
State the effect the shift to the right had on the original denary number
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The original number is shifted three places to the right.
Show the new binary number:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Write the equivalent denary number.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Describe the problems that could be caused if the original binary number is shifted five places to the
right.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 33

The memory of a computer contains data and instructions in binary. The following instruction is
stored in a location of the memory.

Convert the instruction into hexadecimal

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Explain why a programmer might prefer to read the instruction in hexadecimal rather than in binary.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give two other uses of hexadecimal.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 34

The denary number 57 is to be stored in two different computer registers.

Convert 57 from denary to binary and show your working

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Show the binary number from previous question as it would be stored in the following registers.

[2]

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A binary number stored in a register can have many different uses, for example an address in main
memory. Give two other uses for a binary number stored in a register.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
A register in a computer contains binary digits.

The contents of the register represent a binary integer. Convert the binary integer to hexadecimal.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 35

A 32-second sound clip will be recorded. The sound will be sampled 16000 times a second.
Each sample will be stored using 8 bits.
Calculate the file size in kilobytes. You must show all of your working.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 36

A washing machine has a small display screen built into it. One use of the display screen is to show
an error code when a problem has occurred with a washing cycle. The display screen shows a
hexadecimal error code: E04
This error code means that the water will not empty out of the washing machine.
Convert this error code to binary.

State why hexadecimal is used to display the error code

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 37

A robot arm in a factory is programmed to move products. The binary instructions to operate the
robot arm are

The instructions are entered as hexadecimal values. An operator enters the values
9 1 C 3 F
Convert the values and write down the operation (e.g. RIGHT) carried out by the robot arm
9 – …………………………………

1 – …………………………………

C – …………………………………

3 – …………………………………

F – …………………………………
Question 38

Explain the differences between the binary number system and the denary number system
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [4]

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Question 39

Explain the process of converting the binary number 1010 into a denary number
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [5]
Question 40

A computer has 2048MB of RAM.

How many GB of RAM does the computer have?
Show your working.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 41

A stopwatch uses six digits to display hours, minutes and seconds. The stopwatch is stopped at

An 8-bit register is used to store each pair of digits.

Write the 8-bit binary numbers that are currently stored for the Hours, Minutes and Seconds. [3]

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The stopwatch is started again and then stopped. When the watch is stopped, the 8-bit binary
registers show:

Write the denary values that will now be shown on the stopwatch. [3]

Question 42

Jafar is using the Internet when he gets the message: “D03, page is not available”
Jafar remembers that hexadecimal is often used to represent binary values in error codes.
Convert the hexadecimal number in the error message into 12-bit binary.

Question 43

Represent the denary number 300 as it would be stored in a 12-bit binary register.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Convert the denary number 179 to hexadecimal.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 44

Some decorative lights are made up from a cluster of red, blue, green, yellow and white LEDs. Each
colour is represented by a binary code:

A 6-bit register, R1, stores the 1-values to represent a sequence of colours. Thus, if R1 contains:

this means the blue, yellow and black colour sequence is stored and displayed in that order.

The length of time each light is on is set by a binary value in another register, R2: Thus

means each colour is on for 2 seconds.

The two registers contain the following values. What is the sequence of coloured lights and the timing for
each colour?

sequence of colours
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
timing
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
What will the two registers contain if the coloured light sequence is red, green and black and the
timing is 5 seconds?

What is the problem with trying to display green, blue, red in that order?
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 45

A denary number can be represented as an 8-bit binary number. For example: 27 would be
represented as:

All the bits in the binary number have now been shifted (moved) one place to the left.
What denary number does this now represent?

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
What effect did the shift have on the original denary number?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
If the above binary number was shifted another one place to the left, what denary number would it
be equivalent to?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Represent the denary number 46 as an 8-bit binary number.

Shift this 8-bit binary number 2 places to the left. What is the denary equivalent?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
What problem would arise if you tried to shift this 8-bit binary number 3 places to the left?
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
If any 8-bit binary number was shifted one place to the right, what would this be equivalent to?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 46

Explain why data is stored as binary in computers.

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 47

An electronic guessing game compares denary integer values input by a user with pre-stored values.
The pre-stored values are held in 10-bit binary format.
Convert the binary values in the table to denary. [3]

Binary Denary

000100111
0

011011011
1

100000000
1

When planning the game, the designer decided to use hexadecimal notation to represent the binary
values. Explain why the designer used hexadecimal notation.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
State the hexadecimal equivalent of the binary value 1010110101
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]
Question 48

Programmers can use denary and hexadecimal values. These values are stored in a computer
system using binary. Explain why binary is used to store data in a computer system.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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Question 49

All smartphones have a MAC address.

State what is meant by the term MAC address.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Describe the structure of a MAC address
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]
Question 50

Give the smallest number of bits that can be used to store the denary value 2000.
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 51

Give one way that hexadecimal is used in website development.

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Give one way that hexadecimal is used in low-level programming.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 52

What is the difference between analogue and digital data?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 53

Name the device used by computers to convert sound files into sound coming out of the speaker?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 54

Name a peripheral that could be used to feed sound into a ADC?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 55

This is a diagram of a system set up for recording, storing and saving sound. Fill in the numbers
from the following options

 ADC
 DAC
 Headphones
 Main Memory
 Microphone
 Secondary Storage

1. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

2. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

3. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

4. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

5. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

6. ……………………………………………………………………………… [1]

Question 56

Why might you choose to have a lower sampling rate than a higher one for storing a song on your
computer?

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 57

What is the sampling resolution? [1]

…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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Question 58

For the following sound sample work out its size: [2]

Sample Rate = 16,000Hz

Sample Resolution = 8 bit
Length of Sound = 10 seconds
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 59

Using the grid below, plot the following sample points for a sample resolution of 3 bits per sample:
000001100101100011100110111101 [3]

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Question 60

Sound can be represented in a computer in a digital format.

Give the definition of the term sampling.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give one reason why 16-bit sampling is used in an audio compact disc (CD).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Explain what is meant by the term sampling resolution.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give one benefit and one drawback of using a higher sampling resolution.

Benefit

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Drawback

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

28
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 61

Here are the contents of three memory locations with addresses shown in denary.

Address Memory contents

150 0100 0111

151 1100 1101

152 1001 1100

What is the binary value for address 150?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
What is the hexadecimal value for the contents of address 152?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The numbers in location 151 and 152 are the height and width (in pixels) of a bitmap graphic
currently in main memory. What are the dimensions of the bitmap in denary?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
A bitmap graphic can be saved in a number of different image resolutions. How many bits are
required to store each pixel for a black and white bitmap?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
For a 256-colour bitmap, each pixel requires a byte of memory. Explain this statement.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
In addition to the pixel data values and its dimensions, what other information is stored in the
bitmap file?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

29
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 62

Bitmaps may use compression techniques to reduce the file size.

Explain the difference between ‘lossless’ and ‘lossy’ techniques for achieving this compression.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]
Question 63

Convert the following binary number into hexadecimal.

10111000

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Using two’s complement, show how the following denary numbers could be stored in an 8-bit
register:

114

-93

30
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 64

Using two’s complement, show how the following denary numbers could be stored in an
8-bit register:

124

-77

Convert the two numbers 124 and -77 into hexadecimal.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 65

A group of students broadcast a school radio station on a website. They record their sound clips
(programmes) in advance and email them to the producer. Describe how sampling is used to record
the sound clips.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]

31
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 66

The students use software to compress the sound clips before emailing them. Circle your chosen
method of compression and justify your choice. Lossy Lossless
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]
Students also email images to the radio station for use on its website.
These are compressed before sending using run-length encoding (RLE). Explain what is meant by
run-length encoding.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]

32
 IGCSE CS 0984

The following diagrams show:

 the denary colour code that represents each colour
 the first three rows of a bitmap image

Show how RLE will compress the first three rows of this image.
Row 1:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Row 2:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Row 3:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

33
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 67

Convert the denary number 46 to an 8-bit binary integer.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Convert the denary integer – 46 to an 8-bit two’s complement form.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Convert the denary number 46 into hexadecimal.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 68

The program used the ASCII coding system for character codes. An alternative coding system is
Unicode. Give two disadvantages of using ASCII code.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Describe how Unicode is designed to overcome the disadvantages of ASCII.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

34
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 69

A computer has a microphone and captures a voice recording using sound recording software.
Before making a recording, the user can select the sampling rate. Define the term sampling rate.
Explain how the sampling rate will influence the accuracy of the digitised sound.
Sampling rate
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The computer also has bitmap software. Define the terms pixel and screen resolution.
Pixel
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

Screen resolution

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
A picture has been drawn and is saved as a monochrome bitmap image. State how many pixels are
stored in one byte
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
A second picture has width 2048 pixels and height 512 pixels. It is saved as a 256-colour image.
Calculate the file size in kilobytes. Show your working.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

35
 IGCSE CS 0984

The actual bitmap file size will be larger than your calculated value. State another data item that the
bitmap file stores in addition to the pixel data.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 70

A computer has a microphone and captures a voice recording using sound editing software.
The user can select the sampling resolution before making a recording. Define the term sampling
resolution. Explain how the sampling resolution will affect the accuracy of the digitised sound.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Explanation
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The computer also has bitmap software.
Define the term image resolution

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Picture is drawn and is saved as a 16-colour bitmap image. State how many bits are used to encode
the data for one pixel.

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

36
 IGCSE CS 0984

A second picture has width 8192 pixels and height 256 pixels. It is saved as a 256-colour bitmap.
Calculate the file size in kilobytes. Show your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 71

State in denary, the range of integer values that it is possible to represent in two’s complement
integers using a single byte.

Lowest value:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Highest value:
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 72

A black and white bitmap image is shown. Explain how a computer can store this bitmap image

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

37
 IGCSE CS 0984

The image is compressed before it is attached to an email.

Explain how run-length encoding (RLE) will compress the image.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The finished logo is 500 pixels by 1000 pixels and uses 35 different colours. Estimate the file size
for the logo. Give your answer in kilobytes. Show your working.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 73

The binary integer represents a character from the computer’s character set. Define the term
character set.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Explain the differences between the ASCII and Unicode character sets.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]

38
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 74

A student has recorded a sound track for a short film. Explain how an analogue sound wave is
sampled to convert it into digital format.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Explain the effects of increasing the sampling resolution on the sound file.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The original sound was sampled at 44.1 kHz. The sample rate is changed to 22.05 kHz. Explain the
effects of this change on the sound file.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

39
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 75

Each of the following bytes represents an integer in two’s complement form.

State the denary value.
0111 0111 Denary
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
1000 1000 Denary
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Express the following integer in two’s complement form using 8bits.
-17
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 76

A recording of a concert is stored as a file. The file is compressed using lossy compression
before it is streamed to users.
State why this file needs to be compressed.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Define the term lossy compression.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

40
 IGCSE CS 0984

The file could be compressed using lossless compression.

Explain why lossy compression is a more appropriate compression technique than lossless for this
file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 77

A sound track is recorded for the video.

Describe how a computer encodes the sound track.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 78

Explain how the sampling rate and sampling resolution affect the file size of the sound track.
Sample rate:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Sample resolution:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

41
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 79

The sound track has a sampling rate of 88.2 kHz and a sampling resolution of 32 bits. State what is
meant by a sampling rate of 88.2 kHz and a sampling resolution of 32 bits. Sampling rate of 88.2
kHz
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 80

One example of a character set used by computers is ASCII. Describe how one character is
represented in a character set.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 81

Data can be compressed using either lossy or lossless compression. Tick (✓) one box in each
scenario to identify whether lossy or lossless compression should be used. Justify your choice.
A program written in a high-level language.

Lossy Lossless

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

42
 IGCSE CS 0984

A photograph that needs to be emailed to a friend.

Lossy Lossless

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
You need to upload a video that you have created to a website.

Lossy Lossless

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 82

A digital camera takes a bitmap image. The image is 2000 pixels wide by 1000 pixels high with a
colour depth of 24-bits. Calculate an estimate of the file size for the image. Give your answer in
megabytes. Show your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
A second image is taken, this time in black and white. It has the same number of pixels, but
the file size is smaller.
Explain why the file size is smaller.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

43
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 83

A logo is 160 pixels wide and 160 pixels high. The image has a colour depth of
3 bytes per pixel. Calculate an estimate of the file size for the logo. Give your answer in kilobytes.
Show your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 84

Anne is downloading a sound file from a web server. She had the choice of a sampling rate of
44.1kHz or 98kHz before she downloaded the sound file.
Explain the differences between the two sound files stored on the server.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 85

One method of compressing a file is run-length encoding (RLE). Describe, using an example, how a
text file is compressed using RLE.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

44
 IGCSE CS 0984

Explain why run-length encoding will sometimes increase the size of a text file
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 86

Wilbur scans a hand drawn image. The scanned image uses 8 bits to store the colour for
each pixel. The image is 2048 pixels wide by 1024 pixels high.
Calculate an estimate of the file size of the scanned image. Give your answer rounded to the nearest
MB.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

45
 IGCSE CS 0984

Wilbur wants to compress the scanned image before emailing it to his colleague.
Describe one lossy compression technique that Wilbur can use to compress this image.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 87

Anya scans an image into her computer for a school project.

The scanned image is a bitmapped image.
Describe the following two terms about graphics.
Pixel
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
File header
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The image is scanned with an image resolution of 1024 × 512 pixels, and a colour depth of 8 bits
per pixel.
Calculate an estimate for the file size, giving your answer in mebibytes. Show your working
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

46
 IGCSE CS 0984

The image is compressed using lossless compression.

Identify one method of lossless compression that can be used to compress the image and
describe how the method will reduce the file size.
Lossless compression method Run-length encoding
Description
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
One of the colours used in the image has the hexadecimal colour code:
#FC238A
FC is the amount of red, 23 is the amount of green and 8A is the amount of blue in the colour.
Convert the hexadecimal code FC into denary.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The amount of green in binary is 00100011. This has the denary number 15 added to it to create a
second colour. Add the denary number 15 to the binary number 00100011 and give your answer in
binary. Perform the addition in binary. Show your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

47
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 88

A computer uses the ASCII character set.

State the number of characters that can be represented by the ASCII character set and the extended
ASCII character set.
ASCII ASCII = …………………………………………………………..
Extended ASCII = …………………………………………………………..
Explain how a word such as ‘HOUSE’ is represented by the ASCII character set.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Unicode is a different character set.
The Unicode value for the character ‘1’ is denary value 49.
Write the hexadecimal value for the Unicode character ‘1’.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Write the denary value for the Unicode character ‘5’.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

48
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 89

Perform the following binary addition. Show your working.

………….……………
State how an overflow can occur when adding two binary integers.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Convert the hexadecimal value F0 into denary.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 90

Bobby is recording a sound file for his school project.

He repeats the recording of the sound several times, with a different sample rate each time.
Describe the reasons why the sound is closer to the original when a higher sample rate is used.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

49
 IGCSE CS 0984

Describe the reasons why the sound file size increases when a higher sample rate is used.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Bobby wants to email the sound file to his school email address. He compresses the file before
sending the email.
Explain the reasons why Bobby compresses the sound file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Bobby uses lossless compression.
Describe how lossless compression can compress the sound file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

50
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 91

A register stores the following binary number:

The binary value in the register represents an unsigned binary integer.

Convert the unsigned binary integer into denary.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The binary value in the register represents a two’s complement binary integer.
Convert the two’s complement binary integer into denary
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
The binary value in the register represents a hexadecimal number.
Convert the binary number into hexadecimal.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

51
 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 92

The binary contents of two registers are:

Add the contents of Register 1 and Register 2. Show your working.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 93

The following 2 pictures are images of the letter ‘R’ stored as bitmap files:

Why is picture X fuzzy?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Even the sharp image in picture Y would become fuzzy if enlarged. Why would this happen?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

52
 IGCSE CS 0984

Name an output device that makes use of this imaging method.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
State a drawback of storing sharp quality bitmap image files.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 94

On what does the quality of the pictures taken by the digital camera mainly depend? [1]
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 95

The following statistics refer to a music track being recorded on a CD:

 music is sampled at 44100 times per second

 each sample is 16 bits
 each track requires separate sampling for left and right speakers of a stereo recording

How many bytes are required to represent one second of sampled music?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
If a typical music track is 3 minutes long, how much memory is used on the CD to store one track?
(Give your answer in megabytes.)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
When using MP3 format, the size of the above music track will be reduced by a factor of 10 (i.e. the
size is reduced by 90%).

53
 IGCSE CS 0984

How is the music quality retained?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 96

Explain the difference between lossy and lossless compression.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [6]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 97

Give an example of a file that could be compressed and justify whether lossy or lossless
compression would be best suited to this file
Example where lossy compression would be appropriate:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 98

The compression of files can be expressed in a number of ways. One way is a ratio that can be
written as:
Size of file before compression : Size of file after compression
For instance, a data compression ratio of 5 : 2 means that a file of 5000 KB in size before
compression would be 2000 KB in size after compression. The table below shows the compression
ratios for three files and their size before compression.

FILE SIZE BEFORE COMPRESSION COMPRESSION RATIO

File A 2000 KB 15 : 2
File B 8000 KB 16 : 5
File C 3000 KB 16 : 1

Calculate the size of files A, B and C following compression. Identify which of these files could be
attached to an email with an attachment limit of a maximum size of 200KB. Show your workings.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 99

The picture shown is stored as a black and white bitmap file.

Calculate the size of the file in bytes assuming each pixel in the bitmap requires one bit of storage.
Show your workings.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 100

Different types of compression are used for different purposes. A travel company has designed
some brochures that contain images and text in desktop publishing format. The travel company
sends the documents electronically to a printing company for them to be printed. Explain why the
travel company uses lossless compression to send the documents.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 101

State what is meant by a pixel

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 102

A simple bitmap image has the following characteristics:

 4-bit colour depth (bit depth)
 100 pixels by 300 pixels.
 Calculate the size of this image in bytes.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 103

Nicolae needs to send 30 photos to a friend and he chooses to send all 30 together as a single email
attachment. Each photo is 1.8 MB in size, but the maximum possible attachment size is only 20
MB. State how Nicolae can solve this problem.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 104

JPEG

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
MP3 format

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Lossless compression

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Lossy compression
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 105

MP3 file compression reduces the size of a music file by 90%. A music track is 80 MB in size.
Calculate the file size after compression.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
How many MP3 files of the size calculated above could be stored on an 800 MB CD?
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Explain how MP3 files retain most of the original music quality.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
State the type of file compression used in MP3 files.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Name another file compression format.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Question 106

Nigel wants to send a large text file electronically to Mashuda. Describe how the size of the text file
can be reduced.
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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [3]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 107

A high definition video and a large text file are to be sent as email attachments. Both files are
compressed before sending. Each file is compressed using a different type of data compression
algorithm. Explain, with reasons, which type of data compression algorithm should be chosen for
each file.
High definition video
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Text
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 108

Gurdeep wants to send a large file to Jennifer over the Internet. State two benefits of compressing
the file to send it.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Two types of compression are lossy and lossless. Choose the most suitable type of compression for
the following and explain your choice.
Downloading the code for a computer program:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Streaming a video file:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 109

Data files are stored in different file formats. Complete the table by providing a suitable file format
for each file type. The first one has been done for you. [3]

File type File format

Pictures .JPEG

Text

Sound

Video

Kamil wants to store a 16-bit colour image file. The image size is 1000 pixels. Calculate the size of
the file. Give your answer in bytes. Show your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 110

Miriam needs to use a large high-resolution photo as a thumbnail image on a website.

She will use lossy compression to reduce the file size of the photo to create the thumbnail image.
State why a smaller file size is appropriate for this situation.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Explain how lossy compression reduces the file size.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 111

Michele wants to email a file to Elsa. The file is too large so it must be compressed.
Name two types of compression that Michele could use.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
The file Michele is sending contains the source code for a large computer program.
Identify which type of compression would be most suitable for Michele to use. Explain your answer
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 112

Nancy wants to email the photos to Nadia. Many of the photos are very large files, so Nancy needs
to reduce their file size as much as possible. Identify which type of compression would be most
suitable for Nancy to use. Explain your choice.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 113

Jamelia wants to store an image file. The image has an 8-bit resolution and is 150 pixels by 100
pixels in size. Calculate the file size of the image. Give your answer in kilobytes (kB). Show all of
your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Large files can be compressed to reduce their file size. Two types of compression that can be used
are lossy and lossless. Explain how a file is compressed using lossless compression.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 114

Darius is sending several programs that he has created to his friend Selma.
He wants to compress the files to send them as he needs to attach them to an email.
Darius tells Selma he is going to use lossy compression. Selma tells him that he should use lossless
instead. Explain why Selma tells Darius to use lossless compression instead of lossy.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 115

David needs to send a large section of the programming code as an email attachment.
He uses lossless compression to reduce the file size.
Explain how the file size is reduced.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 116

The following text is stored as a text file:

She sells sea shells on the seashore. The shells that she sells are sea shells I am sure.
Explain how lossless compression would compress this file.
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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 117

Marley also needs to store ten 8-bit colour images in a file for his project.
Each image is 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels high.
Calculate the total file size in megabytes (MB) for all Marley’s images.
Show all your working.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 118

Ishan is a member of a software community that develops computer games. He has programmed a
new feature for one of the community’s existing games.
The program files for the games are compressed before they are published on the Internet. Describe
one benefit of compressing the program files.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
State whether lossy or lossless compression should be used.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 119

Audrey wants to send a sound file to Nico using email.

The file is too large to attach to an email so Audrey decides to compress the file.
She uses lossy compression to reduce the size of the sound file.
Describe how lossy compression reduces the size of the sound file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Nico asks Audrey why she used lossy compression rather than lossless.
State one advantage Audrey could give of using lossy rather than lossless to compress the sound
file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
State one disadvantage Nico could give of using lossy rather than lossless to compress the sound
file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 120

A library has a system that allows customers to check out the books that they want to borrow.
Each book has a barcode that can be used to identify the book.
Videos on the library website show customers which books the library will soon have in stock.
The library wants the file size of a video to be as small as possible.
Identify and describe a method the library could use to reduce the file size of a video as much as
possible.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 121

Priya shares her sound files with other students. Before sharing the sound files, she compresses the
files using lossless compression. Describe how lossless compression reduces the size of a sound
file.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give two features of an MP3 file.
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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 122

Carla’s computer has a USB port.

Carla uses the USB port to connect her mobile device to her computer, to transfer her photos.
Carla wants to reduce the file size of the photos she has transferred to her computer.
She does not want the quality of the photos to be reduced, so she uses lossless compression.
Describe how lossless compression reduces the file size of the photos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 123

Gurdeep takes high definition photographs using a digital camera. She has set up a website where
users can view thumbnails of her photographs. A thumbnail is a small version of the high definition
photograph. Gurdeep compresses the high definition photographs to create the thumbnails. She uses
lossy compression. Describe how lossy compression creates the thumbnails.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 124

Tina is creating a website for charity events. She uses HTML to create the website.
She wants to compress the recording to make sure that the file is as small as possible for the
website. Identify which type of compression she should use and describe how this would compress
the file for the website.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give two benefits of compressing the file for the website.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 IGCSE CS 0984

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Question 125

A music company has a website that allows users to stream music. The music is stored in sound
files. The sound files are compressed using lossless compression.
Describe how the sound files are compressed using lossless compression.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
State one reason why the music company would compress the sound files using lossless, rather than
lossy, compression.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Give one benefit, to the user, of the music company compressing the sound files.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Give one drawback of the music company using lossless, rather than lossy, compression for the
sound files.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 126

Jolene displays videos on her website. She uses lossy compression to reduce the file size of the
videos. Describe how lossy compression reduces the file size of the videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
State two reasons why Jolene would use lossy rather than lossless compression for the videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 127

Nadia creates a digital image for a school project.

Give one example of an image format.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Describe how a digital image file is stored by a computer.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Nadia compresses the digital image file before emailing it to a friend.
State what is meant by data compression.
…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Explain why Nadia compresses the digital image file before emailing it.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 128

Georgia is a wedding photographer. She wants to store 10 photographs on a USB flash memory
drive for a customer. Each photograph is 100 pixels wide and 50 pixels high. The photographs are
8-bit colour photographs. Calculate the total file size, in kilobytes (kB), of all the photographs. For
this calculation, you may use the unit of measurement of 1024 or 1000. Show all your working
Working:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Georgia compresses photographs to store them on the USB flash memory drive. It is important that
the compression does not affect the quality of the photographs in any way. State which type of
compression is the most suitable. Justify your choice.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 129

Sammi creates videos for the finance company website that give customers advice about their
finances. He uses lossy compression to reduce the file size of the videos for the website.
Give three ways that lossy compression can reduce the file size of the videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
Give one drawback of using lossy compression to reduce the file size of the videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Sammi could have used lossless compression to compress the videos for the website.
Give one reason why he would use lossless compression, rather than lossy compression, for the
videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [1]
Give two disadvantages of Sammi using lossless compression, rather than lossy compression, for
the videos.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 130

The paragraph describes an MP3 file, MP4 file and a MIDI file.
Complete the paragraph using the list of terms. Not all terms in the list need to be used.
 can
 cannot
 compressed
 image
 microphone
 MIDI
 MP3
 MP4
 notes
 pixels
 speaker
 should
 uncompressed

……………………………………. files are a multimedia format that stores video and audio.

………………………………….. files are only used as a digital recording of sound; they

are created using a ……………………………………… and recording software. The data in

the file is …………………………………………….

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 IGCSE CS 0984

Question 131

Julius also creates videos to explain how to use the application that he has created. He reduces the
file size of the videos using lossless compression. Describe how lossless compression reduces the
file size of the video.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]
State why Julius uses lossless compression, rather than lossy compression.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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…..………………………………………………………………………………………………… [2]

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